Spero Therapeutics

Spero Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company established in 2013 to address the escalating global crisis of antibiotic resistance. The company focuses on identifying, developing, and commercializing treatments for multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections and rare diseases, particularly targeting areas with few or suboptimal approved therapies. Spero Therapeutics went public on November 2, 2017, and is listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol SPRO.

The company was co-founded by Ankit Mahadevia, M.D., and Milind Deshpande. Dr. Mahadevia, who served as the initial CEO and is now Chairman, brought extensive experience in creating and leading biotech companies from his time as a Venture Partner at Atlas Venture. His background includes an M.D. from Johns Hopkins and an MBA from Wharton, complemented by roles at McKinsey & Company and Genentech. The company's initial scientific direction was heavily influenced by the work of Dr. Laurence Rahme, a Scientific Founder and a distinguished professor at Harvard Medical School specializing in bacterial pathogenesis. Her research focuses on developing anti-virulence drugs to combat infections without driving antibiotic resistance.

Spero's business model hinges on advancing its drug pipeline through clinical trials and leveraging strategic partnerships for development and commercialization. A key component of its strategy involves collaboration with major pharmaceutical companies. Its primary source of revenue is derived from these collaborations, including upfront payments, milestone achievements, and potential future royalties, as well as grant funding. A significant partnership is the exclusive license agreement with GSK for Spero's lead asset, tebipenem HBr. This collaboration provides Spero with funding and leverages GSK's global commercial reach for distribution upon regulatory approval.

The company's lead product candidate is tebipenem HBr (tebipenem pivoxil hydrobromide), an oral carbapenem antibiotic. It is being developed to treat complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), including pyelonephritis, offering a potential alternative to intravenous (IV) hospital therapy. If approved, it would be the first oral carbapenem available in the U.S. for this indication. In May 2025, the pivotal Phase 3 PIVOT-PO trial was stopped early for efficacy after meeting its primary endpoint, with a US FDA filing planned for the second half of 2025. Spero's pipeline has also included other candidates such as SPR720 for nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) disease and SPR206 for MDR Gram-negative infections, although development on these programs has been suspended following clinical trial results and pipeline reprioritization.

Keywords: Spero Therapeutics, biopharmaceutical, antibiotic resistance, multi-drug resistant infections, rare diseases, tebipenem HBr, oral carbapenem, complicated urinary tract infections, cUTI, pyelonephritis, GSK partnership, Ankit Mahadevia, clinical-stage, NASDAQ: SPRO, antimicrobial, bacterial infections, drug development, infectious disease therapies, SPR720, SPR206, PIVOT-PO trial